US Patent 11390232 Vehicle safety systems including inflatable seatbelt restraint

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes a tubular inflatable seat belt configured to be moved between an inflated condition and a deflated condition. The inflatable seat belt, when in the inflated condition, is configured to permit the occupant to enter and exit a vehicle seat. The inflatable seat belt, when in the deflated condition, is configured to restrain a seated occupant. An airbag is attached to a lap belt portion of the inflatable seat belt. The airbag is inflatable from a stored condition on the inflatable seat belt to a deployed condition in which the airbag has a lower airbag portion extending from the lap belt portion along the seated occupant's legs and an upper airbag portion extending from the lap belt portion upward in front of the seated occupant's torso.